Balinese Gamelan

There are a large number of Balinese gamelan recordings available,
in a variety of styles. This list will be very brief, containing
only my own personal highlights of a rather large discography. In
fact, after a relative explosion of recordings devoted to Balinese
gamelan, the number of releases seems to have slowed considerably
in recent years.

Compared to the style of Java, Balinese
gamelan uses fewer sonorities. The sound is almost entirely derived
from striking metal of various shapes, with skin drums used to
direct the ensemble. The gamelan music does not include voices,
winds, strings, etc.

The oldest and most austere style is the Gamelan Gong Gede. Two
excellent recordings of this music:

An innovative style at the beginning of this century was the
Gamelan Gong Semar Pegulingan. This style is sweeter and more
rhythmically varied. There are other recordings of this style
available, but the following is especially noteworthy:

Lotring was the man who invented the Gamelan Gong Semar Pegulingan,
and this set consists of Lotring and his musicians playing his own
compositions (now often played by other ensembles). This recording
was made in the 1970s when Lotring was an old man. As such, it is
of unique musical value.

The more recent style is the Gamelan Gong Kebyar. This is the
flashy style for which Balinese music is mostly known today. It
will not appear here.